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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28360620">Little brothers do what they have to do.</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ak47stylegirl/pseuds/ak47stylegirl'>ak47stylegirl</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Thunderbirds</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Mission Failure, Slight Scott whump, little brother looking after big brother</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 22:08:42</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,967</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28360620</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ak47stylegirl/pseuds/ak47stylegirl</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>When Scott needed comforting, Alan steps up and does what he must.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>36</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Little brothers do what they have to do.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I hope you guys enjoy this fic! 😄</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    
<p></p><div class="">
<p></p><div class=""><p>
      <strong>Alan pov</strong>
    </p></div><div class=""><p>He laid on one of the sunken lounges, already carded in his pyjamas, his leg bouncing every so often as he watched YouTube gaming channel videos on his tablet.</p></div><div class=""><p>"Don't you think it's time you get to bed, young man?" Grandma asked, standing behind him with her arms crossed, looking at him with a raised eyebrows. "It's past your bedtime..."</p></div><div class=""><p>"Five more minutes, please?" He gave her the puppy eyes, his blue eyes wide as can be, "this video is almost finished anyway, just five more minutes...pretty please?"</p></div></div><div class="">
  <p>His grandma hummed disapprovingly but nodded, saying "five minutes only..." as she walked over to Dad's desk, opening a comm to thunderbird five. "How are the boys, John?"</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>"Virgil and Gordon are still dealing with at tanker, but they should be finished soon..." John reported, his attention slightly divided as he multi-tasked, his hands flying across multiple screens. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>But there was something in John's voice, an undercurrent that made him pause his video and listen in.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>"And Scott?" Grandma asked tensely, having heard the same undertone in John's voice. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p><em>And now that he thinks about it, he knew what it was. It was worry, but why was John worried?</em> he thought as he straightens up, his eyes locked onto John's hologram.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>John grimaced, "He's on his way home now but...the mission didn't go to plan, there were casualties..." John glanced over at him and lowered his voice, but he could still hear him, "one of them was a kid, about Alan's age..."</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>"Oh, dear..." Grandma gasped softly, gripping the desk lightly. "Is Scotty okay?"</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>The same question ran through his mind as he stared at John, his video wholly forgotten. <em>Was Scott okay? He had to be okay, right?</em></p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>"Scott's isn't answering his comms, Grandma..." John sighed tiredly, running a hand across his face. "He's still on course, he should be home in fifth teen minutes, but other than that I...I don't know..." </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>John typed something on a screen, before looking at grandma again, his green-blue eyes filled with worry, "He never takes losing children well and this kid, well-" John lowered his voice again, "-to add insult to injury, he looked like Alan..."</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>He felt an electrical change run down his spine, as he realised exactly what John was saying, tuning out the rest of the conversation. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p><em>Scott wasn't okay, not even a little bit,</em> he thought to himself, his eyes wide with worried and a good dose of fear, because this was his big brother they were talking about here. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>
    <em>He didn't think he was going to get much sleep tonight...</em>
  </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p><em>Not unless he did something,</em> he thought as his eyes filled with determination, a plan coming to mind.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>
    <em>He may be the little brother in the equation, but that doesn't mean he couldn't help in his own way, and maybe what he was planning was just what Scott needed.</em>
  </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>
    <strong>---</strong>
  </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p><em>Okay, this was going to be trickier than he thought</em>, he thought as he laid in bed, pretending to be asleep. Instantly after Grandma's conversation with John had ended, she has herded him up to bed. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>So, here he was pretending to be asleep, waiting for Grandma to come and check on him before he could sneak down to thunderbird one's hanger.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>He heard his door creak open, and then after a couple of tense minutes, close. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>He waited a couple of minutes before opening his eyes and getting up, making his way to his bedroom door on his tippy toes. He peeked outside his door, finding the hallway clear of people, and he took that as his cue to keep moving.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>He was just about to enter the comms room when he heard Grandma's voice coming closer, freezing in place briefly before backtracked up the stairs slightly, hiding out of sight. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>He held his breath as Grandma passed him, not noticing his hiding spot as she made her way down to the kitchen.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>He didn't dare breathe a sigh of relief until he was standing inside Scott's launch lift, having to jump to reach the lamp poles.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>He activated the lift to take him down to thunderbird one's hanger, disabling the suit up function. There were easier ways of getting down to thunderbird one's hanger, but he would have to go down to the kitchen level, and that would be nearly impossible with Grandma down there. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>He was surprised John hasn't appeared yet to scold and ask him why on earth was he using Scott's lift.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>But he wasn't going to call John up and ask him why, because one that would be stupid and two, he was going to take John's silence as the blessing it was. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>If he had timed everything right, Scott should be home in five or so minutes,<em> so all he needed to do now was wait and hope he wasn't caught before Scott got back,</em> he thought with a sigh, sitting down on the floor, facing the area where thunderbird one would rest while not in use.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>
    <em>He could wait...</em>
  </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>
    <strong>---</strong>
  </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>He must have dozed off for a minute or two because the next thing he knew thunderbird one was pulling onto her hanger and the launch platform was extending out to meet Scott.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>He stood up and watched as Scott dismounted, his uniform dirty and filthy, but it was the truly drained, sorrow-filled look on Scott's face that took his breath away.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Scott looked like hell; he thought, biting his lip, tears gathering in his eyes. Scott's eyes filled with confusion and concern as he spotted him, stepping off the platform. "Alan? What ar-"</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>He launched himself at Scott, wrapping his arms around Scott's waist and clung on tight. He felt and heard Scott gasp in surprise and maybe something else. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>A second later Scott was hugging him back just as tightly, perhaps even more so. Scott's face was buried in his hair, his big brother trembling slightly as he held him, like he was scared to let go.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>He felt more tears gather in his eyes at the thought. <em>He didn't realise how badly seeing Scott like this would affect him...but he really should have known, Scott was the closest thing he had to a father and what child wanted or was okay with seeing their parent in this sort of state?</em></p>
</div><div class="">
  <p><em>But maybe he could make these emotions work in his favour,</em> he thought with a muffled sob, pulling away from Scott. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>
    <em>He didn't know what exactly happened on Scott's mission, but he knew Scott had lost a kid, a kid that had looked like him and if he knew his big brother as well as he thought he did, 'What if that kid had been Alan?' would have been on his mind all the way home.</em>
  </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>
    <em>There was no way he would leave his big brother alone tonight, Scott needed him close, even if big brother would never outright say it. So he had to go about it in a way where Scott thought he was helping him, not the other way around...</em>
  </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>"What the matter, sweetheart?" Scott asked, bending down slightly, so they were eye level, his tired eyes filled with concern. Even when Scott was barely holding himself together, he had the strength to care for them, for him. "Shouldn't you be in bed?"</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>
    <em>He hated what he was going to do next, lying to his big brother just felt wrong, even if it was for a good reason.</em>
  </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>"I...I had a-" He sniffled, roughly rubbing at his nose with his palm. "-a nightmare, can...can I spend the night with you?" He brought out the tried and tested puppy eyes; his tear-filled eyes make it ten times more effective.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Scott's eyes softened, "Of course..."</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>
    <strong>---</strong>
  </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>He sat on the bench in the change rooms, idly swinging his legs as Scott took a much-needed shower. <em>He hadn't been technically entirely lying to Scott, because seeing that look on Scott's face was almost kin to having a nightmare, except while he was awake. </em></p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>He looked up as Scott came out of his change room, rubbing his hair with a towel, wearing an old shirt and pyjamas pants. Scott's eyes were filled with anxious energy as he looked around the room, his big brother only relaxing when he spotted him.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>He jumped up and latched himself to Scott's side as he spotted that brief fear in Scott's eyes. He pressed himself against his brother in a side hug, cheek resting against Scott's chest. He could hear Scott's heart still beating faster than normal, the hidden fear not so hidden.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Scott gave him a small, slightly concern, smile, looping an arm around him, gripping him tightly. "Come on, let's get you, and me to bed..." Scott whispered, his voice only shaking a little bit as he leads him over to the lift that would take them to the upper levels.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>He had a mental facepalm moment as they stepped into the lift and Scott hit the button for their bedroom floor. <em>Why didn't he just take the main lift instead of Scott's launch? It would have made avoiding Grandma or getting busted by John nearly obsolete. </em></p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>
    <em>If he could facepalm right now without giving himself away, he would be.</em>
  </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>"What's the matter, kiddo?" Scott asked, looking down at him. His realisation must have shown on his face,<em> not good. He didn't want to tell Scott how he had used his launch tube to get down to thunderbird one's hanger, that was sure to get him in trouble.</em></p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>"Nothing..." He mumbled, snuggling deeper into Scott's side.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Scott raised an eyebrow, but decided to it wasn't worth it, especially at this time of night, "You're very cuddly tonight..." Scott mused softly as he nudged him forward and into his bedroom. "You're sure you're okay?" Scott laid the back of his hand against his forehead, his eyebrows furrowed in concern.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>He shook Scott's hand off as he flopped down onto Scott's bed, crawling to the side of the bed. "I heard that your mission went badly..." He mumbled, giving Scott a half-truth, looking up at Scott with sad puppy eyes. "It scared me..."</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>The skin around Scott's eyes creased, "That wasn't what your nightmare was about, was it?" Scott asked as he laid down next to him, pulling him close, shifting the blankets of they covered both of them.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>He didn't answer, because one, he felt terrible about lying about having a nightmare, and two his 'nightmare' in a way was precisely that. That exhausted, drained, anxious look on Scott's face, the way that even now Scott was clinging to him, afraid that he'll disappear if he let go. </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>
    <em>It was worse than a nightmare...</em>
  </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>His silence must have been enough for Scott because he felt himself being pulled closer. "Oh sweetie, I'm alright..." Scott whispered, kissing his hairline. "I'm right here..."</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>"Then I'm alright too..." he whispered, unable to stop himself but Scott needed to hear it. He looked up at Scott, his eyes filled with love for his big brother. "I'm here, I'm not going anywhere..." He snuggled deeper into Scott's chest, wrapping his arms around Scott's middle.</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>"I...." He felt Scott startle slightly, before relaxing, "-yeah, yeah you are..." Scott wrapped himself around him, burying his face into his hair as he held him close in an embrace. "Thank you..."</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>
    <strong>---</strong>
  </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>
    <strong>No one's pov</strong>
  </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Grandma Tracy stood in the doorway of her eldest grandson's room, taking in the sight in front of her. Both youngest and eldest entangled in an embrace, both sleeping peacefully when, in reality, one of them really shouldn't be...</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>Grandma smiled, taking a photo for the family photo album.  </p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>"Good job, kid..."</p>
</div><div class="">
  <p>She left them to sleep, closing the door behind her with a secretive, proud smile. "Good job..."</p>
</div>
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